NZ Enduro 2018
For me (JPJ) the only race in the UK I was keen to go get into was the Steel City Series race in Greno. Now win New Zealand it has become the NZ Enduro.
Day One : - Whites Bay start of on the Whitesbay descent which is 10min of arm pum thunder and a couple of pinch climbs which make the pros spew a lung, second stage is Double Eagle, this is a short 2.4min DH track with a bit of flow thrown for good measure. Always interesting to see the results from day one. As a coach, whos faster on what track.... what do we need to do to progress the riders on the next section.
Day Two : - Nydia Bay isn't really like any other track I have raced before, slow speed low gradient jank is probably the best description and is by far my fav day of the three. For me this is where the race is lost and won. Sven put it well last year. So much off camber rooty goodness and slow speed stalls.....
“You can not make time on this track, you can only loose it, take your time, pick good lines, stay loose”
Day Three : - Takes us to the epic Wakamarina for the heli drop. This is an old gold mining route which takes up into some amazing native bush for rooty loamy corners with hair pins drops and stream crossings galore.
I was there supporting some of our riders this year and heckling hard. I also got a stack of clips strung together below. It's not good I'm not a media guy but it is real and raw :-).
Carnage at 1.51 :- This was blind rut where you either took a tight left or a wide right. Tight left was through firm ground, wide right was through bog which was OK with a manual as long as your rear wheel didnt tag the side of the bridge..... The centre rut was ok at pace, braced for impact, not so much at medium speed foot out...
If you get the chance, you should do this race !